Parsons says Newfoundland’s marijuana strategy coming — soon

Justice Minister Andrew Parsons speaks to reporters about marijuana legalization outside the House of Assembly Wednesday afternoon. - James McLeod

Justice Minister Andrew Parsons is asking for just a little bit of patience before the province unveils his plans for marijuana legalization.

Parsons was asked about the issue by Opposition Leader Paul Davis in the House of Assembly Thursday, but he wasn’t offering much in the way of details.

Davis wanted to know if Newfoundland and Labrador is joining other provinces that are asking for more time because they might not be able to meet the July 2018 federal target for full legalization.

Parsons responded only by saying, “We all as a cabinet and caucus know that we will be ready and our plans will be announced in due course and we look forward to speaking publicly about them when that information is available.”

He wasn’t much more forthcoming when asked about it by reporters afterward.

“We will be announcing our plans, hopefully, some time in the near future,” Parsons said.

Parsons also said the government isn’t expecting a whole lot of revenue from marijuana, and it’s been a lot of work to prepare for legalization.

“We do realize that this is a huge change, and it does require time,” Parsons said. “I might be worried if I didn’t have faith in the significant amount of people that are working on this behind the scenes.”